Guard ordered to Mexican border — President Barack Obama is preparing to send as many as 1,200 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, amid growing concern about cross-border criminal activity and a simmering debate over illegal immigration. — Obama plans to submit a request …

Clearing The Air — A little over twenty-four hours ago, our founding editor was pressured by pending media reports (a claim that has since been verified) into preemptively acknowledging an inappropriate physical relationship with S.C. Rep. Nikki Haley. — While it was originally his intent …

Memories ... Of The Way They Were — Seriously ... how funny is this? — It's a framed photo of Mark Sanford, Nikki Haley and Sic Willie following a fundraiser for Haley back in 2007. — Let the bidding begin! — UPDATE: Sic says “two bits!”

Annals of journalistic enterprise — Sarah Palin, guerilla Facebook warrior, turns the tables a bit on the author Joe McGinniss — best known for his Nixon campaign account, The Selling of the President, and for the murder investigation Fatal Vision — who, she says, has rented the house next door.

What Exactly Are They Supposed To Do? — I know that no matter what I say, some of you are going to claim I am shilling for Obama while others of you will read the same piece and claim I am unfairly attacking Obama, but I have a serious question- what exactly is the Obama administration supposed to do about the oil spill?

The decisive action Obama can take — As I noted this morning, there's been a palpable shift in the tone of media coverage of Obama's handling of the Gulf spill, with newly-aggressive news orgs raising more questions about whether the admistration has ceded too much control to BP.

When the Future Chief of Staff ... Today, the wick burned out. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), a friend of the President and his Chicago entourage, said that Rep. Joe Sestak, the new Democratic Senate nominee from Pennsylvania, should provide a fuller accounting of his conversation with Rahm Emanuel …

STATEMENT BY THE EMBASSY OF MEXICO — Regarding the Administration's decision to send 1,200 National Guard servicemen to the US Southern border, the Government of Mexico trusts that this decision will help to channel additional US resources to enhance efforts to prevent the illegal flows …

Private pay shrinks to historic lows — Paychecks from private business shrank to their smallest share of personal income in U.S. history during the first quarter of this year, a USA TODAY analysis of government data finds. — At the same time, government-provided benefits …

Fiorina up big — Carly Fiorina's superior resources always had the potential to blow her opponents for the California Republican Senate nomination out of the water, and in the closing stretch that appears to be exactly what's happening. Fiorina has now opened up a 20 point lead with 41% …

McConnell to Rand Paul: Stay out of the spotlight — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday gave some advice to his state's GOP Senate candidate, Rand Paul: Avoid the national media spotlight. — Paul had a rough week after he won the GOP nomination over Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson Tuesday night.